“I am counting upon nothing save that we shall hold our lives as long as may be. There is just the shadow of a chance the redcoats may go away without knowing we are here, and I claim there is no possibility whatsoever that even two more could escape.” I question if very many of the lads would have been willing to make the venture, even though Gabriel and Archie had apparently succeeded; but Jacob himself had sufficient courage to set off, and that he was disgruntled because I positively commanded him to remain could be readily understood by his silence. I was not minded any others should put their lives in jeopardy, and therefore it was that instead of remaining near the window where all had gathered, I took station at the door, as I should have done in the first place, thus making certain no more of our party could give us the slip. Even though I had been so positive in stating that all must remain, I doubted the wisdom of the command as soon as the lads gave evidence of being willing to obey me, and began to ask myself whether it might not be better some few escape with their lives than that all be made prisoners, for there was indeed little hope of being undiscovered after sunrise. While pondering over this, and saying that by such a course I was making myself wholly responsible for whatsoever of evil might come, my eyes grew heavy with slumber. Now, as I look back upon that night, it seems indeed strange that I should have had any desire for sleep when death appeared to be so near at hand, and yet the truth is that I finally lost consciousness. I may possibly have slept two hours--it could not have been much longer--when I was literally brought to my feet by the crackling of musketry and cries of anger or surprise from the outside. So great was the din on the instant that all my comrades were aroused at the same time, and instinctively we made our way to the window, clustering there without realizing that it might be possible for the sentinels on guard to see us. “What is it?” Jared Green asked, and he made no effort to speak cautiously. “What has happened?” It was a question none could answer, for although it was possible to hear the men running to and fro, shouting frantically, as it seemed to me, with now and then a hoarse cry from the room beneath us, we could see nothing distinctly, yet knew beyond a peradventure that some serious disturbance had broken out. So great was the noise from below that I ventured to raise the window, and, craning my neck to look over the eaves of the building, I gazed down on what seemed to be a perfect mob of men running to and fro aimlessly, while from the distance came the sharp crack of musketry and the trampling of horses’ feet. “It is our people!” Jacob Breen cried shrilly, clapping me on the back with such force that I was nigh to being hurled headlong from the window. “It is our people! Gabriel or Archie have succeeded in finding one force or another, and an attack is being made!”